Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Wants More Private Firms Involved in Emergency Planning
May 23 2011 // Florida’s new emergency management chief said he wants the private sector to be more involved in the state’s disaster preparedness efforts so that local economies can recover quickly after...
Tornadoes Hit Missouri Town; At Least 89 Killed
May 23 2011 // At least 89 people have died in Joplin, Missouri, and the toll is expected to climb as one of the deadliest tornadoes in state history roared through the small Midwestern city Sunday, local officials said Monday. Rescue...
Europe on Alert for Icelandic Volcano Ash Cloud
May 23 2011 // An eruption by Iceland’s most active volcano put Europe on high alert on Monday as a billowing ash cloud drifted towards Scotland and threatened to shut down airports across the northern edge of the...
Tornado Damages Philly Business
May 20 2011 // A weak tornado spawned by strong thunderstorms descended on a northeast Philadelphia block Wednesday, tearing part of the roof off a beer distributor and a bar and restaurant and demolishing a car repair shop. The fire...
How La Nina Might Affect Storm Season
May 20 2011 // One major factor in whether the Atlantic Ocean will experience an active 2011 hurricane season is fluctuating thousands of miles away in the Pacific. The La Nina weather phenomenon, which is linked to above average...
Disaster Plan Should Include Social Media, Says Hurricane Center
May 20 2011 // Nobody is going to push the “like” button for a hurricane, but the National Hurricane Center hopes to get some Facebook fans for its storm advisories. The hurricane center joined the online social network in...
NOAA Forecasts ‘Above Normal’ Atlantic Hurricane Season
May 20 2011 // The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season will be “above normal”, spawning six to 10 hurricanes of which around half could become major, the U.S. government’s weather agency forecast Thursday. However, as the...
Cincinnati Financial Estimates April Storm Losses of $150M – $200M
May 19 2011 // Cincinnati Financial Corp. expects its property casualty group to see pre-tax catastrophe losses, net of reinsurance, of $150 million to $200 million due to severe weather during April. Catastrophe losses affect property...
April’s Tornadoes Destroyed, Damaged 14,000 Alabama Homes
May 19 2011 // The swarm of tornadoes that killed more than 230 people across Alabama last month destroyed or heavily damaged more than 13,000 homes statewide and will smash the record set by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 to become the...
Florida Hurricane Fund Gets More Time on Claims
May 19 2011 // The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund has been given more time to respond to an influx of claims from 2005 storms. A state panel chaired by Gov. Rick Scott approved an emergency rule waiving a 60-day deadline for acting...
Unitrin Estimates April Catastrophe Losses at $65M to $75M
May 18 2011 // Unitrin Inc., headquartered in Chicago, announced that pret-tax catastrophe losses due to several, severe tornados and other storms during April would likely come in at an estimated $65 million and $75 million. The company...
Florida Gov. Scott Signs Property Insurance Cost Control Bill
May 17 2011 // Florida Gov. Rick Scott has signed into law legislation that promises to lower costs for the state’s property insurers, including what they pay on sinkhole claims. While the memory of former Governor Charles...
Verisk Catastrophe Index Now Covers U.S. Earthquake Risk
May 17 2011 // The Verisk Catastrophe Index has been expanded beyond the hurricane peril to also cover U.S. earthquake risk, including fire following earthquake. The index provides industry-wide insured property loss estimates by county...
Best Sees ‘Growing Pressure’ for Higher P/C Insurance Rates
May 17 2011 // There is “growing pressure” to support increased rates in property/casualty insurance and reinsurance markets, rating agency A.M. Best has concluded in its most recent market analysis. As a consequence, Best...
P/C Insurers Take Hit in Q1 as Hurricane Season Approaches
May 16 2011 // The U.S. property/casualty (P/C) industry took a beating from record first quarter 2011 catastrophe losses, and recent earnings announcements from global reinsurers illustrate the damage those losses did to earnings and...
Cat Bond Investors Not Scared Off by Japan Quake
May 16 2011 // The catastrophe bond market seems to have survived the Japanese earthquake, its biggest test since the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, with investors still likely to consider the sector despite millions of dollars of...
Catlin’s Q1 Interim Statement Highlights 11% Rise in GPW
May 16 2011 // The Bermuda-based Catlin Group’s interim statement for the first quarter of 2011, highlights a substantial 11 percent increase in gross premiums written to $$1.412 billion from $1.272 billion in Q1 2010. Net premiums...
Report: Hurricanes Pose Risk to 1.8M Coastal Homes
May 16 2011 // More than 1.8 million homes along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts are at great risk of being damaged by a hurricane, three times the number located in federally defined flood zones, according to a recently released...
Report: Hurricanes Pose Risk to 1.8M Costal Homes
May 16 2011 // More than 1.8 million homes along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts are at great risk of being damaged by a hurricane, three times the number located in federally defined flood zones, according to a report released Tuesday. The...
Risky Business: Insurance Industry Entering ‘New Era’ of Catastrophes
May 16 2011 // Given the recent flooding, hurricanes and earthquakes, it appears the number of catastrophic events that inflict mass casualties and severe economic losses has increased – so much so that Dr. Erwann Michel-Kerjan,...
